Nightprowler
by spicygenou
Summary: An up-and-coming Agent on the Metalbending Police Force in Republic City has no time for trivial fancies, especially in the form of a famous pro Earthbender. Will she be able to balance her career and her personal life amid the chaos of the Revolution? BolinXOC
1. Chapter 1

This was not the time for games.

Nisha knew that her performance tonight would have far-reaching consequences. If she was successful, she would be responsible for putting the second-in-command member of the Triple Threat Triads behind bars. If she failed, their undercover operation would be blown, two months of research and covert work would go to waste, and worst of all, she'd have to answer to Chief Lin Beifong for her shortcomings. This mission was her first big break, the chance to finally move up in the Metalbending Police Force rankings. _She _had discovered the mole in the Triad gang, _she _had coerced him into joining their side as an informant, _she _had planted various other agents within the system, either as low-ranking grunts or even innocent shopkeepers. Of course everyone and their mother in Republic City knew that the Triads were never up to any good, and they only got away with it because of their own inside men, some of them her peers. Forced to keep this mission confined to a small unit, she was afraid she wouldn't get enough support to put even the simplest of delivery boys in jail. It wasn't until the Boss's foolish right hand slipped up and left some incriminating documents linking him and several others to assassinations, arson attacks, robberies, and extortion deals that she finally had enough concrete evidence to make all this work worth it.

Knowing all of this, she couldn't help but roll her eyes as a sturdy, young earthbender sauntered over to her side and gave her a once-over. He was about her age, and admittedly attractive, but her mind was on the mission, and there was no room for error, even it that error was obviously drooling over her.

He finally spoke up, "Hey there, cutie, what's your name?" A charming smile complimented the greeting, and his tone was genuinely enthusiastic. Nisha immediately profiled him as honest, hardworking, funny, romantic, and a bit dense. But a creep? An undercover operative set to ruin her efforts? Definitely not.

"Lin," she replied with barely a nod in his direction. But he was not perturbed.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Bolin, you may know me from the pro-bending Fire Ferrets team," he gave a more sultry smile while placing his elbow on the bar in an obvious attempt to flex his… very present arm muscles. In the Police Academy, Nisha trained herself beyond limits but never had such impressive physical presence. She decided to humor him.

"Oh! So that's why you're name sounds so familiar, I love pro-bending. I've never actually been to a match but I listen to them all the time on the radio," she lied. She had actually been to many matches, usually on guard duty when a higher-ranking officer assigned her the menial task.

"How would you like to meet the rest of my team?" he beamed over at a brooding young man and a jocular girl in the corner.

"I'm not sure, I'm waiting for someone, and the vantage point that table offers is inferior to my current position."

He looked confused, "Um… well... Wait you're not waiting for a boyfriend are you?"

"Hardly, it's more of a… surprise for a friend. So I'll have to turn down your offer."

"Well that's alright, three's a crowd, let alone four, so I guess it's just you and me. Alone. Togther. Could I buy you a drink at least?"

"That'd be perfect," Nisha was starting to ease up with him. He was friendly without being overbearing. He joked with the bartender then ordered her drink.

"So what kind of surprise do you have in store for your friend?"

"We're going to take him for a trip that's been a long-time coming." She sipped her punch.

"Him?" Bolin's eyebrow twitched.

She laughed, "Not a boyfriend, but who are you to be possessive anyway?"

He smiled in return, "Well I don't want my new friend to get into any trouble."

"Trust me, if there's any trouble, you'll be the first to know," she replied with a wink. He shifted his seat so that he was facing her directly. _He's into me_, she thought, _That was easy_. Sure the guy was obviously a flirt. Before coming over she had seen him ogling a few other girls, most of all the young Avatar on his team who sadly for him had her eyes on the other boy. Nisha knew by her trips to the Arena that the Avatar's heart was set on none other than Bolin's brother. Talk about an awkward family dynamic.

These deductions flashed through her head in seconds. Her habitual observations and personal knowledge clicked together and allowed her to make inferences of everyone she met. It got annoying at times the way she could read people by simple mannerisms, but on the Force, it was vital to her survival.

A voice buzzed in her ear, "The banana has split," signaling that their target was finally beginning his route to the bar, where he would meet with a client and deliver some illegally acquired narcotics. At that point Nisha would swoop in and arrest the lot of them. She sighed, that meant she still had about seven minutes and eighteen seconds to kill till he walked in the door, assuming he followed his usual schedule.

"What's wrong?" Bolin asked.

"Oh nothing, just a little bored is all."

He looked hurt, "Oh, well—"

She laughed, "Sorry, that was a bit ambiguous, no worries, you're providing me with quite a bit of entertainment. I couldn't help but notice that I'm not your main target here." She gestured to Korra.

After looking back, he grinned sheepishly, "Ya, well that's not one I'm going to win, but if it makes you feel better, I think you're the most beautiful girl here."

This caused a bit of color to rise to her cheeks. _Girl, stop mixing work with your personal life!_ She scolded herself. _But_, she reasoned,_ I've still got over five minutes, and we can be friends after_. "Really? That's sweet of you."

"Of course! I've never seen such red hair, where are you from?"

"I grew up here, but I was adopted. To be honest I have no idea where my family is from."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. What do you do for fun then?"

"I don't usually have a lot of free time outside work actually. You're about the first person I've had a non-work related conversation with in a month at least."

"Wow! And I thought I was busy. Well, if you're not working tomorrow night, you should try and come by our match tomorrow night. Maybe afterwards we could get some dinner."

She flushed. A date invitation? All the guys she knew were a bit older than her and entirely unappealing. To top it off they were very intimidated by her brash and pragmatic attitude at work and would never approach her with such an offer. What else did she have going on tomorrow? Just a debriefing with Chief Lin Beifong herself, and a squadron-wide mandatory training session. But, this was a boy! _Oh Agni_, she thought, _I'm losing my focus._ In the back of her mind she chalked up a few more traits in the Bolin file: by the way he skipped straight to the date request even after she left a perfect gateway for him to ask about her work life, he showed himself to be slightly vain, easily motivated with a precise focus.

Her musings where interrupted as her target slithered into her peripherals. "Would you excuse me for a second?" Bolin nodded, a bit deflated thinking that this would be the time when she ditched him.

He watched in amazement as his newest object of admiration went over to a sleazy looking guy and a large brute conversing at a booth. Without warning she whipped her wrists forward and two metal ropes shot out from a metal case on hips that had previously just seemed like a regular belt, one binding each man.

"You're under arrest for the illegal distribution and possession of stolen goods. You have the right to remain silent, knowing that we already have enough evidence to put you both away for twenty to life."

The men struggled, but a few quick strikes from their captor subdued them enough for another officer, this one dressed in uniform, to take them away. Bolin still had his mouth wide open when she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Sorry about that, had some paperwork from the office to finish up. But, about tomorrow, I'd love to. I'll be there. My real name's Nisha, by the way."


	2. Chapter 2

The ride back to the station was uninteresting. Nisha and her clients went through the usual process. First were the overconfident remarks:

"Girl, you think you can keep me locked up? I've had eyewitnesses condemn me for murder in front of a pious judge with a jury of my enemies, and still I managed to get out of it. My lawyer will make sure you never fight for the Force again."

Then the threats:

"You'll lose your rank, your honor, your home, then we'll come after your family and finally, when you think it's over, we'll get you one last time. We'll find every dirty little secret you have and make sure the right people know so that you suffer till you have no choice but to end it yourself. Even then, don't think I don't have connections on the other side, girl."

Next denial:

"Ya know, I don't even know how you cops get away with pinning the crimes on us tax-paying citizens all the time. I'm a good man, I supply jobs for the poor and homeless, stimulate the economy, and yet you insist on preventing me from furthering my own business to protect your own wallets. How could I have committed all these crimes you say I did? I was off in the colonies at the time, on summer vacation. Don't believe me, ask any one of my girlfriends, they'll vouch for me for sure."

Finally came silence, the most uncomfortable leg of the trip, in Nisha's opinion. Chancing a glance in the criminal's direction, she caught the iciest of glares. His associate on the other hand looked new to this game; this was probably his first arrest, maybe even his first delivery job for the Triads. Unluckily for him the chump was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He couldn't even meet her gaze and settled for a dejected downward gaze at his dirty boots.

Through the whole journey she never responded to the man's quips. There had recently been a great deal of trial process reform so the arrests had to be very clean and harmless. If she talked to him, his lawyer could null every accusation by calling out the Force on its unscrupulous principles and harassing of his client. These gang members always managed to find the wiliest of attorneys to weasel them out of almost any situation. But not this time, not if Nisha had her way. She was committed to this case, so much so that she volunteered to ride to the station with them in the van, usually considered to be a punishment for an officer. It gave her time to think and compile all the evidence she had against them. She had followed proper procedure in every search and stakeout; the only way he could get out of it was if the head of the Triads himself was judge.

After fifteen minutes of tense travel, the van came to a stop outside the station. The doors opened revealing several armed guards waiting to take the prisoners. She handed them down one at a time, gently once she noticed the greasy-haired, balding man in the pinstriped suit. _Lawyers_, she mentally rolled her eyes with disgust. It was hard to understand how men so disciplined in justice could willingly defend these obvious criminals just to pad their pockets a bit more. The corruption in this town astounded her, and just when it seemed things were getting better, higher ranking public officials would be exposed as moles or as being connected to the local gangs, dampening her pride in the legal system each day. She knew that as a lowly detective (well, "Head Investigative Agent" as of last Tuesday) she wouldn't have enough power to change anything, which is why she had to do a great job and get noticed by Chief Beifong so that maybe she could move up the ranks to Deputy someday. All that stood in her way was a town full of warring gangs, an up-and-coming anti-bender movement, hundreds of senior officers vying for the same position, and her own peers and city judges working against her. Easy.

At this point she was forced to leave the men to talk with their lawyer in privacy but under the watch of another agent. She was reluctant, but knew that this was an officer to be trusted. He'd had her back several times in the field, so as she watched her catch of the day make its way down the hall, she turned away quickly and decided to quit worrying. Realizing she was still in civilian clothing, she headed to her new office to change.

Her space was far from homey. There wasn't one picture or touch of personality in the whole room. Admittedly, she hadn't had much time to decorate the closet-sized domain; it had been a last-second perk added to her promotion package when the Sergeant who had noticed her talent in the field made up the Head Investigative Agent position and decided to put the old janitorial closet to use. Despite the circumstances, Nisha couldn't help but feel honored when she received her dainty medal that magnetized to the lapel of her Metalbending Agent uniform. She turned on the lights and with it came a bout of flickering for several seconds and a continuous buzz. A few papers had established themselves on her desk, and she groaned when she saw "Report of Due Process."

This was always the most tedious part of the investigations: the mountains of paperwork. And since this was such a high profile case, it wouldn't stop after today. She would be signing, writing, retelling and swearing on the Scrolls of the Western Air Temple for months to come. With a sigh, she sat in her chair who gave a woeful squeak, echoing her laments. Clipped to the front page of the report was a note.

"Det. Nisha, fill this out within the hour of bringing in your prisoners, the usual report. In addition, you'll need to copy the other three forms and bring them to the LT's office in order to get the rest of the paperwork needed for the trial (public). Also, remember your briefing with Chief tomorrow at 1500. –Sec. of Sgt. K."

She was afraid this would happen. She had quite a few successful trials under her belt, surprising for one so young and new to the Force, but never a public trial. The work required to keep everything in order for public trials was monumental compared to the two or three forms to conduct a private hearing. The Detective in charge of the case had to arrange transportation, control the press, watch their tongue in public, convince witnesses to face the potential wrath of gang members and testify, all the while maintaining their regular work load. Plus, with everyone in the City now privy to the trial details, she would have to consider the fact that the public opinion might sway the opinion of the jurors and judge even more than the Triad's threats or bribes. Image was the deciding factor in these trials, and it was common for the values of justice to be kicked to the curb.

In a few minutes the forms were meticulously filled out and on their way to the Lieutenant's office. Nisha quickly changed into her uniform, Head Investigative Agent medal in place, and leaned back in her chair, despite its loud protests. She rubbed her temples, anticipating a late night in the office. Her clock seemed to mock her as it beeped and flashed a bright red 10:00. Just as she closed her eyes to relax, a curt knock resounded through her office and a young, overly perky secretary burst in.

"Papers for you, Head Detective," with a polite salute, the eager lad brought in an iridescent stack of papers about as high as he was wide. "Don't worry, it's not as much as it looks like. Each form has to be filled in triplicate: the beige will be returned to the Sergeant, the pink goes to Chief, and the blue is for the DA. So really you only have one-third of the stack. Sergeant says he wants his portion by midnight, the Chief will want it at least an hour before your debrief—although if I were you, I'd shoot for two hours, and the DA needs his on his desk before tomorrow at twenty-one hundred. Good luck!" He flashed a smile before taking off down the secluded hallway to deliver these hellish documents to some other poor sucker.

Nisha leaned forward on her hand, rifling through the stack with her other free hand. She couldn't believe that after all the investigating, the sleepless nights of searching and watching, that the greatest threat to her case was mashed up pulp fibers and layers of ink. Shrugging it off, she slammed her fist against her desk. She opened the top drawer, withdrew her pen, took the first three pages off the top and set to it.

Naturally, the pen was out of ink.

She cursed under her breath, making scribbles on the corner, willing the pen to _work_. But it was hopeless. Finally, after nearly ripping through the white copy, she decided that having a hole in her report would look unprofessional, so she embarked down the hall to track down a functional utensil. _At times like these, I'd _kill_ to have a secretary_, she thought bitterly. Those perks didn't come till promotion to Sergeant, just one level away. This only motivated her more as she practically sprinted through the compound.

Turning a corner sharply, she bumped the shoulder of an officer.

"Sorry about that!" she came to a halt to apologize. "Oh, hey, Tolin," she recognized the man.

"Nice to see you too, Nish, and, hey, you remembered my name this time!" he smiled.

"Of course, it's hard to forget, there aren't a lot of people with a similar name."

"Well, there's Molin, Solin, Kolin, Polin," he numbered the names on his fingers. "Oh, and I've heard Bolin too."

Nisha's eyes widened. She had almost completely forgotten about Bolin! And she had her whole day planned tomorrow, first she'd finish up the copies for Serge, sleep in her office till about seven, go for a run and train in the barracks, eat lunch, meet with Chief, run down to the DA's office on the other side of town and have just enough time to finish up the papers for a few minor cases she was still running. Now, though, she had to find time for _this_. She had no idea how long it would take her to get ready, or how long he would insist on them being together after. But still she smiled as she ambled down the hall, colliding with every officer on duty, it seemed, because even though there was now a major wrench in her plans, those dreamy green eyes managed to also wrench at her heartstrings.

* * *

**Hey there! Thanks to my reviewers, you guys are total gems! :] Sorry this chapter wasn't very eventful, but next chapter things should start to pick up!**


	3. Chapter 3

Despite her clumsy rampaging, Nisha lost no time in retrieving a functional pen from an otherwise empty drawer in an abandoned cubicle. This time with more grace, she navigated her way back to her closet space and sat at her desk, her chair squealing in agony at her return.

Most of the report was your run-of-the-mill factual questions, the who, what, where, and when of the case. She breezed through those parts, double checking every entry for proper spelling: one error could put the whole case on hold, and there are some lawyers clever enough to call for a mistrial when such egregious errors are made, but usually not with cases involving violence such as this one. Regardless, she didn't want the convoluted paper trail to taint her track record, and she had a responsibility to her team to get things done the right way. She finished the first copy for the Sergeant by 10:30 and buzzed his secretary over the intercom system. Those papers now on their way, she took the time to breathe for a few minutes and clear her mind before she fiddled around with other papers. An hour passed then she set down her pen.

It wasn't long before her exhaustion caught up with her. With a casual swipe of her arm, a metal wire shot out from her gauntlet and nicked the light switch, subjecting the room to near-complete darkness. The only light came from the red glow of her clock. Reluctantly, she set an alarm for seven AM, and after an intense internal debate reset the alarm for seven-thirty. She figured that she could use a break after a successful arrest. The best part of having such a secluded office was the quiet: if she had tried to nap anywhere else in Headquarters she'd be hard-pressed to find a place even half as calm. Nestling in her uncharacteristically silent chair, her now boot-less feet curled under her, she fell asleep, still wearing her bulky uniform.

After what seemed like seconds, the shrill buzz of the alarm clock rang in Nisha's ears. Her eyes shot open and she jumped up, braced for a fight. That was the standard wake-up protocol they were taught in her years at the Academy. It made for a lot paranoid habits, but their style was effective for that line of work. Seeing that her office was free of threats, she shut off the alarm. She stripped out of her uniform and put on a lighter pair of shorts and a loose cotton shirt for her training session. She managed to find her Metalbending Force issued sneakers from inside her lone cabinet and threw them on, still untied as she trotted down the hall.

The best thing about Headquarters was the convenience: at the front were all the offices, where the public was allowed, but go through a few guarded doors and there was everything an officer could need. The gym featured hundreds of weight machines engineered by a branch of Future Industries, a running track, and even a pool. Showers were also provided, which Nisha took advantage of frequently. Now that she had a title and an office, she was able to drop her dirty clothes off at the on-site Laundromat and have the cleaned articles delivered to her room. Just past the gym was the mess hall, open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week to cater to all the officers with their inconsistent working hours.

A grumble from her stomach prompted her to make her way to the mess hall where she picked up some toast, bacon, yogurt and fruit and continued to the gym. All of it was devoured by the time she reached the track. She warmed up and stretched, then ran her usual work out of laps interspersed with weight training.

As the time passed, the gym filled up with late risers who still wanted a good start to their day. She greeted many of her peers on her way out, who either gave a respectful nod or congratulated her on her catch from last night. As usual she didn't stop and chat, there weren't a lot of people who she related with; sure, they all had a sense of justice and a will to enforce the law in Republic City, but other than on missions, she rarely interacted with them. She was constantly swamped with work and never treated her personal life as a priority.

Her short shower gave her an extra boost of energy before resuming more papers that she discovered piled on her desk. The cycle of monotony resumed. The next hour was a blur until her stomach alerted her to the time: lunch time, to be exact.

In the mess hall she sat by herself till the Sergeant's secretary settled across from her.

"Good afternoon, Detective," he smiled warmly.

"Good afternoon to you too. You're not delivering any paperwork to me on my lunch break are you?"

"I wouldn't think of it. Did you hear the news?"

"Apparently not, what's new?"

"Sergeant Kaza has been reassigned to a new division, so you're no longer under his jurisdiction."

She perked up, perhaps another promotion was in her future. "So who's my Sergeant now? And where's Kaza at?"

"I'm not sure yet, they may just switch another Sergeant over, I heard Sergeant Omori was interested. Or they may promote a Head Detective to fill the spot. Maybe Detective Akemi, she's had quite a few arrests these past few weeks."

Nisha bristled internally. Akemi had made three arrests, all at once. _Two weeks_ ago. Other than that, her and her crew had been under the radar. But because the criminals had committed an especially heinous murder, she had received laud and immense support for her efforts. It wasn't much of a case, the victim kept a journal detailing the threats he'd received and who made them, so the perpetrators had obvious motive. When the murder weapon was found in their shared apartment, a five year old could've made the connection.

So it was understandable how Nisha, who had brought down agent after agent of the city's gangs, was upset for the lack of recognition. It was rare for even Sergeant Kaza to acknowledge her success, for he was also the supervisor for Akemi with her squad and six other Detectives with theirs. He tended to favor Akemi, but Nisha had hoped that he would at least recognize her talents.

The secretary continued, "I'm not sure about Serge either. His new underlings haven't had a successful mission for two months. There's only three active Detectives with less than twenty agents each. It's as much of a demotion he could get without actually losing his title. But, you know, he'd been slacking on his work a lot lately. It was only a matter of time. Your current case was all he was helping with, plus some paperwork for Chief, but even that was always late. It's like he lost his will to work. I haven't seen him train for weeks, so there's no way he'd be ready in the field."

Nisha nodded along as he continued with his gossip, excusing herself a few times to get more food. He gabbed on for an hour before his watch let out a beep and he gasped.

"Already two! Well, I must be off, I've still got some deliveries to make and messages to send regarding the reassignment."

"You're not staying with Kaza?"

"Of course not, even secretaries have standards," he joked. "I wouldn't want to be caught dead in that floundering division. I'm still going to be with whoever's in charge of you. This division's track record is one of the best in the Force, thanks to people like Akemi. And you. It would be silly of me to leave it."

He finally left, leaving Nisha to finish her third serving of rice in peace. Her belly nearly full to the brim, she headed to her office. She still had an hour to kill so she decided to quickly work through the copy for the DA. By the time that was done, fifty minutes had passed. She gathered her uniform and made sure she looked every bit the responsible officer, or rather Head Investigative Agent, for the Chief before heading over. She pulled a small mirror from her drawer and checked that her face and hair were in order. She squinted when she noticed a small pimple resting over her cheekbone, though luckily it blended with her many freckles. She decided to deal with it later. As for her wavy red mane, there wasn't much she could do about that no matter the day or occasion. Today it parted well enough though it still frizzed out more than she'd like. In the Academy she was forced to keep it cut to just below her chin at the longest, but on joining the Force and seeing it grow, she liked the look and she refused to cut it out of vanity's sake. It was one of the few personal indulgences she enjoyed.

Satisfied with the primping, she left for her meeting. As she journeyed to the elevator, her palms seemed to accumulate sweat forcing her to shift her folder frequently to avoid any wet marks. Even her neck grew hotter when she began to rise to the top floor. A guard greeted her after she stepped off the lift, to which she nodded, too nervous to say anything. The Chief was her hero, but she'd never actually met her. They'd been on field missions together, but other than a few brusque orders didn't ever talk. And now she was finally meeting her. Nisha had no idea what she'd say, or whether she'd say anything at all. For all she knew, the Chief may just take the papers and send her on her way.

A middle-aged secretary looked at her as she stepped up to the large oak desk dwarfed by an intimidating metal door, speckled with complicated ironwork designs.

She cleared her throat. "Head Investigative Agent Nisha to see Chief Lin Beifong," she said formally and with composure. It seemed to fool the secretary who slightly nodded his balding head.

"She'll be right with you, she's in with another agent. Please sit."

Nisha turned toward a plush-looking chair when she heard the signature sound of metal being forced. She turned to see the door split in half and slide apart revealing Chief Beifong and another figure. In a few seconds she recognized Akemi, who was smiling and shaking the Chief's hand.

"Your first briefing will be in one week. Till then take the time to settle in and meet all your Detectives. You are dismissed, Sergeant Akemi."

They parted and Akemi walked to the elevator. On seeing Nisha, she smirked and rolled her eyes, muttering, "I've always been your superior, but now it's official, _Detective_." Nisha glared but made no comment, though inside she was enraged. That someone so consumed with appearance and reputation could earn their rank through luck seemed so wrong, so unjust, especially in a field that holds justice above any other ideal.

"Detective Nisha, come with me," Chief Beifong motioned for her to step through the metal opening. Nisha entered the room behind her, feeling the resounding vibrations as the door scraped shut.

* * *

**Um... totes awk, buuuuut, I lied. I said things would pick up this chapter... but poor Nish had a rather dull day! But I swear that we'll get the meeting next chapter, and hopefully the DATE! To make up for the monotony (imagine how Nish feels!) imma try and get the next chapter out super quick, my goal is same day delivery! But, we'll see how that goes. To the reviewer who is curious about Nisha's age, don't fret! You'll know next chapter! And (spoilerish) there's not gonna be any cougar/pedophilic action! :] Also, if you're confused about the ranking, Detective, Head Detective, Investigative Agent, and Head Investigative Agent are like all interchangeable. I like lots of character development, so the loooong boring parts are just there to help you get to know the character! Soon, though, there will be more character interaction! :]**


	4. Chapter 4

The door clanked shut with a tone of finality, and Nisha gulped. Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to calm down. She knew that Chief Beifong could feel her racing heart and was embarrassed. Always graceful under pressure, she became more motivated to make a good impression and her heart rate slowed to a normal pace. The Chief strode to her desk and turned to face her guest, leaning against the metal structure.

A few moments passed in which Nisha faced the Chief but took in her surroundings, like she was trained to do. Everything was cast in metal except the huge window letting in the afternoon sun from behind the solid desk. There wasn't a great deal of personalization in the office. Everything was in place for function. The right wall was covered with shelving featuring books, plaques, and statuettes of famous figures, the most notable being Toph Beifong, the original metalbender, and of course the Chief's mother. Several of the tomes were covered in dust, while some looked well-worn and overused. Each metal protrusion boasted a similar iron work pattern as the door. On Nisha's left hung weapons, a museum-like display of the Force's standard equipment through the years. The only color besides grays and blacks came from an elaborately embroidered white and blue rug covering most of the floor between the door and the desk, matching curtains stuffed to the ends of the window, and a gold photo frame of a woman and her daughter. The rug and curtains had designs that swirled across the fabric akin to the art featured in the ancient airbending temples.

Her observations were interrupted when Chief Beifong spoke up, "Do you have your papers?"

"Yes, Chief," she handed her the folder. Beifong skimmed through it, then tossed it onto her otherwise meticulously organized desk.

"Close your eyes," she ordered. Nisha complied, curious as to what would happen. It was silent for a nearly a minute, but she never opened her eyes; like most earthbenders, she focused on waiting for her opportunity.

"How many pencils are on the desk?" Chief Beifong finally spoke up.

She was slightly perplexed but tapped into her most recent visual memory and conjured up a panoramic view of the room. "Three, one is unsharpened."

"Do I have any more meetings today?"

Nisha strained to see the reading on the small note at the corner of the desk in her mind's eye. "At 5:30 with Sergeant Kaza."

"What did I have for lunch?"

"A candy bar and rice."

"What's traffic like outside?"

"Not bad at all. A tour bus let out several children in the courtyard. There's very little other foot traffic and just a handful of Satomobiles."

"What was the primary design on the door?"

"Vines and thorns."

"What is the fifth from the left on the top row on the weapon wall?"

"A prototype wire suit, the first featuring the backpack-style wire winder."

"Is my secretary married?"

"Yes, but not happily. In fact he may be considering an affair."

"What's his favorite color?"

"Mauve."

"And mine?"

"Yellow."

"My favorite novel?"

"_The Theory of Justice as an Art_."

"Alright, you may open your eyes." She did and resisted the urge to check if her answers were correct.

"I'm sure you want to know why I did that."

"To test my abilities of observation?" she guessed.

"Yes, but also to gauge your confidence. I notice you didn't shift your eyes to check anything after. I assure you, however, you were correct in all but one."

Nisha looked to the frame on the desk. "Oh, the design also had cloud patterns."

The Chief nodded. "You remember it now?"

She flushed, "No, I looked in the reflection of the frame just now."

"Resourceful. Have we met before?"

"I was with you on the Republic National Bank stake-out and headed the team that helped you and your squad arrest the Dragon Flats killer. But no, not really."

"I read your file and have been keeping an eye on you lately. You are an incredible agent, and your contributions to the Force have been notable and numerous. I think your team was the best trained and dedicated I've seen."

She gave a slight bow, "Thank you, very much, Chief."

"But I noticed some inconsistencies too."

Nisha tensed, imperceptible to the eye but noted by the Chief's extra sense. "Are you worried?"

"To be honest, yes."

"I would be too." She went to the other side of her desk and opened the drawer with her bending. Withdrawing a file, she flipped through it with feigned interest. She returned to her original position then slammed the drawer shut. Nisha didn't flinch. "It says here you entered the Academy at age fourteen and graduated in two years, very impressive. How many years ago were you in the Academy?"

"Two," she responded flatly.

"Here it says you joined the Force at age twenty, and you've been here for about a year and a half, which would make you twenty-one, but your last answer implies you are eighteen. You were adopted by the—" She glanced at the file. "The Endo family when you were how old?"

Chief Beifong's steely look cut through Nisha like a metal-bent cable. "The file says eleven."

"They declined the invitation to your graduation. And no one has ever heard you talk of them. There is no Endo family on record in Republic City who have adopted an eleven-year-old. Now I want the truth. Every bit. And I'll know when you're lying."

"Is this why you wanted me to come?" She was genuinely curious.

"Partly. How old are you right now?"

Nisha couldn't believe her luck. Finally she had been noticed by Chief Beifong, but for all the wrong reasons. She felt sick, how could all her hard work be shot because of some lies she had told? She took a deep breath, then spoke. "Sixteen."

This was news to Chief Beifong whose mouth fell open for a moment. "What? How is that possible? The minimum age to join is nineteen, and that's only with stellar recommendation from the Academy."

"I did have that, from Master Jiang himself."

"So you joined the Academy at age—" she paused.

"Twelve. I graduated at fourteen and when I was fifteen joined the Force. I lied about my age, Chief, but I was an orphan and this seemed like the only place I could flourish. After living on the streets for years and seeing all the crime, I just wanted to do something to stop it. At first I joined the Academy for the free food and board. I had to fake the parental permission because the process for orphans took so long, and I knew they'd do more digging into my past. But soon the shelter became a home and I fell hard for the ideals the Force stood for. When I put on the uniform, I became more than myself; I was a soldier. I'll understand if you want me to resign, or since my induction was illegitimate, I suppose it would be fair for my position to be terminated completely. I only hope my past lapse in judgment does not affect the upcoming trial." Nisha bowed her head and held back her tears. But she stood strong and lifted her head after a moment to see the Chief staring at her intently.

"I want you to move out of your office immediately."

"I understand," Nisha felt her dreams shattering. All she wanted was to make the City a more welcoming and safer place for other kids like her, abandoned at a young age and left to fend for themselves. But even after putting away all those criminals she'd caught, the threat of gangs and now the rising Equalists was still strong. It was as if her whole struggle had been futile. Even as Head Detective she couldn't do a thing to slow the decay of the City's darker side.

"Look at me, soldier." She mustered up what was left of her pride to look her superior in the eye. "You've got guts, kid, more valor than some of my best officers. Your integrity is phenomenal, and your appreciation for the ideals of my mother is admirable. Lying on these forms is unacceptable, however. I have one more question for you. Why was this so important to you?"

She thought about her answer for several seconds before she replied, "I just had a feeling inside me. When Master Jiang first taught us about human nature and the need for a justice system, my heart told me that what the people needed was someone like me, someone who knew the basest of people and still had compassion for them when they were wrongly treated, someone who would protect them. It was for myself, because that was something I never had growing up. I want to be that symbol of freedom and justice that Republic City was founded on."

After such a cliché and poignant speech, Nisha felt the blood rush to her cheeks. Near the end her words were more rushed as she filled with passion, but the message was still clear.

"That's just the fluffy and genuine thing I've been waiting to hear from someone for ages. So many people want to join the Force for the power, maybe not initially, but that's what it becomes. But you've made such an impact and never petitioned for a promotion. You've waited and bided your time, the essence of neutral jing. I've promoted so many people less worthy, although admittedly they didn't lie on their forms. Take Sergeant Akemi. She's nothing but a glorified button-pusher, practically a trained monkey. But she's always been forthright with her private information. That's what is expected of the City's protectors. That's why you must clear your office."

Again Nisha nodded and, feeling ashamed, requested permission to be excused.

"Now let me finish. I want you to move from your office and settle yourself two floors up."

"Wait, do you mean—?" Nisha's eyes brightened. Two floors up meant the third floor, which was where… but, it couldn't be…

"Do you want me to spell it out for you? Welcome to the next level, Lieutenant Nisha. Just Nisha, not Nisha Endo. I'll petition for the erasure of the falsifications on your file. It won't besmirch your name before the trial, and you can finally be completely honest while still pursuing your dream. You'll be supervising Sergeants Akemi, Kaza, and Omori."

"This… this is such an honor. Thank you, Chief Beifong. You will have my full commitment from now on, and my behavior will be much less shameful." She bowed.

"Jeez, kid, you are uptight. I'd recommend a break, maybe a drink tonight. Wait… are you even old enough? Nevermind that, though, just keep up your work. I know I will always have an ally in you." She gave a slight nod, the closest thing to a smile, but for Nisha it was more than enough. "You are dismissed."

The Chief opened the door and Nisha glided through it, as if in a trance. Her attention was needed however when the secretary spoke up.

"Lieutenant Nisha," he stood and saluted. Then he withdrew a metal box from a drawer. He opened the lid revealing a rectangular blue metal piece and a large circular disc set in gold. The first signified her promotion to Sergeant and the second her current ranking: Lieutenant. She still couldn't believe it as the man stuck the pins to her lapel, even as they clanked onto her uniform by the magnetic force. The elevator guard also saluted her, and even gave her a small smile. On the way to her office, everyone stopped to salute her, even a shocked Akemi who also threw in a glare. She only smiled in return, and continued to her old office in a state of bliss._ I could get used to this, _she beamed.

* * *

**Holy crapoly! I actually did it! A super quick update! YES! Nisha got her promotion! So proud of her :'] Haha so this ended up longer than I thought it would, so we didn't get to the date at all. :[ Also, does anyone watch Psych? If so, you'll recognize Beifong's grilling session! :] Join us next time for... the date! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

Nisha was met at her old office by a young, skinny woman wearing a ruby robe and sandals.

"Hello, Lieutenant, my name is Shuchun." She flipped her blonde hair with her manicured hand and readjusted her clipboard. "I'm your personal assistant."

_This day just keeps getting better_, Nisha thought to herself with a smile.

"Nice to meet you. Please, you can call me Nish. So, what are you doing here?"

"I was sent to help you move." Shuchun opened the door to the office and seemed surprised at the sparse decorations. "Although there isn't much to move at all. We could fit all of your effects in my purse."

That turned out to be the best course of action, although not everything fit: all the filed papers recording her past cases would be delivered separately and she was forced to carry her sneakers to the new office. Oh the inconveniences of promotion.

They made it to the third floor with little dialogue. This secretary was much less talkative than the others Nisha had ever associated with. But she didn't mind seeing as she didn't want her assistant bothering her with idle gossip all day. Arriving at her new office, she took pride in the size: it actually deserved to be called an office space. A glass and metal desk was the main focal piece framed on both sides by dark gray metal shelves, all presided over by a wall-sized window. Nisha walked toward it, imagining the lofty view of the plaza below, the sun glinting off Toph Beifong's expertly crafted blind eyes onto the splashing fountain.

Instead she was met with a rather dull brick wall. On the street were dumpsters overflowing with trash. A few alley cats were fighting over a scrap of meat—or was it an old shoe? She couldn't even tell.

"It's not the best view, but compared to your previous office, it must be an improvement. I'll just be right outside the door should you ever need anything. I'll give you your agenda each morning and deliver papers and can help with the more basic forms. Do you need anything else for now?" The secretary interjected politely.

A few moments passed till the words registered in Nisha's brain, even then she was still distracted by the whole experience. "What? Oh, yes, it'll do quite nicely." She turned from the window and approached her desk. "So, anything on the agenda for today?"

"No, ma'am. In fact I was told by Chief Beifong that you could take the rest of the day off. But you still have papers to deliver to the DA. Unfortunately, that has to be done by the case officer for security issues, so I can't help you there."

Nisha nodded. "Very well. I suppose you can take the evening off as well."

Shuchun smiled brightly, "Oh, well thank you very much!"

"Of course—" Nisha stopped when she realized the now-energized woman had already left for a night of fun.

With a content shrug, she pulled the chair out from her desk and plopped into it.

Suddenly she started.

Standing up, she pressed all her weight on the chair.

Not one sound.

A hearty guffaw burst from her mouth and she settled back into the plush seat. To her, this new chair even in her stuffy old office would've been enough of a promotion. But now, she had this space, the pin, and this state-of-the-art ergonomic chair. To top it all off, with her new ranking, she'd have the authority to really make an impact on the crime in this town. Most of her bookings were gang crime-related, but the Equalist movement was gaining ground and starting to rear its ugly head to the Force. She had a feeling that the gangs would be put to the side to deal with the radicals.

A wall-mounted clock gave a pleasant bird call. It was four o'clock. This time she started out of panic. The bending matches start at five, meaning she had only an hour to get to her apartment all the way in the Dragon Flats district, get ready for her date, and make it to the Arena. With barely a second thought, she gathered her folder containing the forms for the DA and made her way downstairs.

She was shocked to see the lobby filled with reporters. When they saw her they swarmed and began grilling her on her highest-profile case. It was obvious that they had gang ties for they went on and on about the "cruel and unusual" treatment in the arrest and asked if she thought her "illegally acquired and slanderous 'evidence'" would hold up in court. She couldn't believe that so many would take his side in the case; was it fear or respect that gave him such power? It was times like these that part of the Equalist movement made sense: there_ were_ a lot of people who used their bending wrongly to control others that needed to be stopped, but there were just as many non-benders who did the same. The Force prided itself on putting away anyone committing crimes, bender or non-bender. Now that's equality.

"No comment," she replied coldly to every question. After a few minutes, the crowd dissipated and she was in the clear to exit the building. That fiasco had put her even more behind schedule. Once she got outside, she took to the skies, taking advantage of the Force's recently-installed Mass Wire Transit System to surf over the traffic to her home. The MWTS was an ingenious idea conjured up by the Chief as Republic City spread over the land covering more and more territory. It was getting hard for the Police to properly patrol every area so they installed a series of thick metal wires over the main streets for an easier form of transportation—if you could metalbend, of course. They had to stop production in the outlying zones when drunks started trying to walk across the wires in the more seedy neighborhoods, but the much shorter than intended line still helped greatly when trying to escape downtown.

The line came to an end forcing Nisha to travel by foot. Normally she would've metalbended her personal wires and made her way through the streets in a more acrobatic fashion, but the buildings out this way were pretty rundown and couldn't handle much strain on their exteriors. A few of her neighbors sat on curbs with drinks in their hands. While hardly trustworthy, for the most part they were friendly, especially since the crime rate on the street went down since she moved in.

"Afternoon, detective. Care for a drink?" A toothless old man, the local shoemaker, asked.

"Sorry, I've got other plans. And it's Lieutenant, now," she replied with a smile, showing that she really wasn't offended at all by his mistake.

"Well, well, I guess our new _Lieutenant's_ got a date?" He chuckled with a wink. He was so loud some of the other residents in the apartments gave out their own congratulations mixed with catcalls.

A light flush came to her face, but Nisha just laughed with him, "You got me there. You're good, you could've been a Detective yourself."

They exchanged more idle banter till Nisha excused herself. At the end of the street was one of the ugliest buildings in the District, a regular high-rising eyesore. A few of the windows were covered over with cardboard and the door seemed to be off its hinge. Not even taking in these familiar and hideous details, Nisha entered. The building supervisor was snoring at her desk, as usual, so Nisha headed to the stairwell without a word. After three flights, she came to her floor. Her apartment was the first from the stairs on the right. The hall radiated a suspicious smoke, its origin from her neighbor's room.

Due to the building's lax policies, there wasn't much she could do about the drug usage, so instead she shoved open her door and locked it up behind her. The space was cozy, less rundown than the rest of the building mostly due to her meticulous cleaning habits. She set her folder on the coffee table and entered the bedroom.

In the corner was her closet. Having been on many undercover missions, she had a large array of clothing items to pick from. She bended her metal exoskeleton from her body and with a roll of her sore shoulders started shuffling through the hanging clothes.

Finally she settled on a sleeveless white shirt with light blue trim. The collar came up her neck and it buttoned on the side, as was the fashion these days. Unlike most shirts it was unique in its flaring at the bottom. For pants she wore a mustard yellow pair of cotton shorts that clinged to her muscular legs then ended in a cinched band above her knees. She finished off the casual outfit with a pair of white sandals. Luckily, before her previous mission where she had met Bolin, she had already painted her toenails, so no further prepping was necessary.

Despite her callous attitude at work, Nisha was still a girl, and perfectly adept at fashion. With some of her undercover work, she had to blend in at the highest-end soirees, so she knew the ins and outs of appearance and manners. She was naturally lean, though her frequent exercise bulked her up ever so slightly; but, she could still fit in well with the upper class ladies who prided themselves on their slim figures. The only body trouble she ever encountered was fitting clothes over her butt. To be quite frank, it was a grand protrusion she'd rather live without, and was the major curve her figure offered, admired by many but abhorred by its owner.

Satisfied with her look in the mirror (though a bit self-conscious that her shorts hugged her butt too tightly), she went to the bathroom. She cringed at the old cracked tiles and lime covered tub: it was obvious why she preferred showering at HQ. She turned on the faucet. As was its habit, it squealed before releasing its liguid gold. Literally. For the first few seconds the water ran yellow. A few months ago Nisha discovered that the water was so polluted that she could bend it into a flurry of runny shapes. Finally, clear water came through. She bent by the sink to wash her face, reaching for an expensive exfoliating cream she had bought recently to make the job more thorough. A clank resounded through the pipes and she backed away quickly before the second round of yellow water came through. Once the normal water returned she rinsed her face and toweled off.

Nisha returned to her room and glanced at the clock. Her eyes opened wide as she realized that she was about to be late. After a quick once-over and smell check, she rushed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and reapply some deodorant. She swiped a brush through her tangled hair and managed to not break her third one this month. She threw on some plain gold hoop earrings and her ever-present gold band on her middle finger. She had always had it, when she was found at the orphanage in the City, it was there in her pocket. She kept it as a reminder of the challenges she faced and hoped it would be a clue as to the identity of her parents.

She felt so bare without her metal suit, so she pulled the gloves off her uniform and removed the fingers, snapping the now fingerless gloves to her hands. She mentally scolded herself for becoming so distracted as she hopped out her window to the fire escape. She slid down the metal railing and on landing immediately took to the streets at a quick pace. She had forgotten that she couldn't just bend her way over the MWTS this time, not without her metal shoes, so she had to be fast if she wanted to be on time. She only hoped that Bolin would understand and not think she was standing him up. Remembering how discouraged he looked when he thought she had rejected him the other night, she soon transitioned to a run, fueled by a nervous energy she wasn't familiar with.

* * *

**Oh balls, we didn't get to the actual date. :/ Sorry if it's taking a bit long to get going. But, for those of you sticking with me, thanks! Your reviews are greatly appreciated.**

**So, I've got some random questions. 1. Am I the only one who was wondering why Mako didn't redirect the Equalists' lightning from day one? 2. How come in A:tLA, at Ember Island, they all wore bikinis, but seventy years later swimmers gain a new sense of modesty? I was definitely expecting Asami to be in a sexy bikini while a self-conscious Korra looked on when at the Sato mansion pool. 3. When Metalbender police dudes are in pursuit of criminals who are in their cars, why don't they just metalbend the engines and break them so the evildoers have to stop? 4. What is the past tense of bend, in the context of elemental bending? When I was writing this, it didn't sound right to say she "bent her suit" off, but "bended" isn't proper grammar, or is it proper with this type of bending? But I went with "bended" because it sounded better, so please don't think I'm like retarded or anything... 5. Did anyone else feel extreme sadness when *SPOILER ALERT* Lin got her bending taken away? She's like my favorite character. I was so frickin sad. :[ 6. Can skilled earthbenders bend glass? Or is it kind of like with platinum how the sand is so refined that it's impossible? I was kind of thinkin of introducing some type of glassbending action, if it's possible at all...**

**Anyway, as you can see, I have alot of things on my mind! ...oh alright, I'm just stalling. Hopefully I'll get the new chapter up super soon. If we don't get to the date by then, meaning I spend 2000 words talking about her walk to the Arena, that's when you'll know my in-depth writing style has gone too far. :P Review please! :D Why? Because... I love you! :]**


	6. Chapter 6

She progressed through the streets, her legs covering as much ground as possible per stride. She made it out of the District quickly, but on entering the business district, the traffic was nearly impossible to weave through. A few expletives were thrown her way as she brusquely shoved through vendors selling their wares and tourists falling for the gimmicks. There were a lot of people out for a Wednesday evening, probably because the weather had been uncharacteristically sunny and warm all day, despite the approaching winter. Finally, she caught a break as there was a lull in foot traffic at the Central Station, and she knew she was close to her destination.

"Hey Red!" a young street rat yelled to her. But this wasn't just any street rat, so Nisha stopped.

"What's up Skooch? Not in any trouble are you?" She went up to the youngster who had become her very reliable informant since her debut on the Force. They had to be careful that none of his "friends" with gang ties ever found out who she really was and what he was able to tell her during their talks.

"Me? Never. So what're you all dressed up for, got a hot date?" He laughed when her cheeks turned red, camouflaging her freckles. "Ya know, for being so good at your job, you're pretty easy to read."

She smacked her forehead, "Don't remind me. You're the second one to have guessed it today!"

"Well, you've been running around with a goofball grin on your face, for one. And you're actually looking pretty nice. Who's the lucky schmuck?"

"He's a probender I met the other night. Bolin's the name."

Skoochy opened his mouth wide. "What? Bo? I know the guy! Such a charmer. A real ladies' man."

"Oh," she felt deflated. "I knew he was a flirt when I met him…"

"You have no idea, he and his brother have quite the fanbase! So many girls, it's—" on seeing her slight frown, he held up his hands. "But, hey! You've got something none of them have! You've got his attention tonight, and you're looking great! He'd be stupid to pick one of them bimbos over you."

She laughed at the compliments, "Thanks, Skooch. You're a real pal. I've got some things to talk to you about, but I've gotta get going. I'll catch ya later." With that, she continued her run, but not before he spoke up.

"Red!" She turned around.

"Ya?"

"If you ever have trouble keeping his focus on ya, just turn yourself around and show him that a—" He couldn't finish as he was too busy dodging a well-aimed rock heading for his face. He laughed after avoiding the projectile.

"I'll keep it in mind, kid!" she yelled behind her, laughing.

_So, _she thought._ Bolin's pretty popular with the ladies. He could've asked out any girl at the bar. All he was looking for was a pretty face. Oh, and red hair. He liked that. There aren't a lot of redheads out here._ She felt slightly discouraged, but with a shake of her head, tried to gain a new perspective on things. Even if it didn't work out tonight, they could still be friends. And at least he'd ask her out at all. Judging by his carefree attitude, she figured tonight would be a very entertaining evening.

With a new confidence, she arrived at the Arena. She mentally slapped herself. Because she had gotten there just before the match, Bolin couldn't help her get in; he was probably getting ready to start. She forgot her purse at home, so she had no money. She went up to the doorman, willing to flirt her way in like she'd done so many times on missions where her targets were more easily charmed than, well, tortured or anything.

"Um, hi… I'm here to meet my friend, but I'm a bit late so—"

He smiled. "No worries, Bolin's my friend too, he said he'd be expecting a 'pretty little red-haired gem' tonight. Go right on in. Don't go into the main doors once inside, though, go down the corridor and up the stairs to get to the benders' rooms."

"Thanks so much!" she smiled.

"Sure thing, just don't break his heart," he chuckled.

_You're probably telling the wrong person_, she thought. He held the door open for her and she went in. There were a few crowds of people milling about, buying Fire Flakes and placing bets at the respective stalls before the match started. She spotted the hallway and pushed through the people, reaching the now empty space in a matter of seconds. At the end was a staircase guarded by a man. On noting her hair, he let her by and informed her that the match would be starting soon.

She hustled up the stairs and was overwhelmed by the number of doors spread all the way down the hall. Luckily there was a cartoonish drawing of a fire ferret on one of them. She didn't need keen detective skills to figure this one out. She knocked and went in.

She recognized four figures: a tanned girl and a pale boy were in the corner arguing while Bolin sat on the chaise petting a small red creature. The pair stopped their discussion and the golden-eyed boy spoke up. "Who are you?" he asked coldly.

"Why do you always have to be so harsh?" The girl asked.

Finally Bolin turned around. His face brightened. "Nisha! You're here! I was afraid you weren't going to show." He pointed at his brother triumphantly. "Ha! I told you she was real!" He got up from his seat and went to Nisha. He grabbed her gently by the hand and led her to his team.

"Sorry I was so late, I got held up at work," she said on the way over.

"No problem! I'm just glad you're here." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before they reached the others. "The mean one's my brother, Mako, and this is Korra."

She shook both of their hands. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Nisha."

Korra folded her arms to her chest and leaned against the wall. "So, Bolin says you're one fierce Metalbender."

"Well he may be over-exaggerating a bit, but I have been on the Force for about a year and a half now, so I'd like to think I'm pretty capable."

"Do you know Beifong?" Korra asked, curious.

"Chief? Not well, I actually only had my first conversation with her today."

"What about?"

"Oh, just a case I'm working on, and a promotion."

"Oh, congratulations! Do you like her?"

Nisha quirked a brow at the question. She had heard that the Avatar had a run-in with the Chief her first day. "As a person, I can't say I know her enough to form an opinion, but as an officer and bender, I respect her greatly."

Korra narrowed her eyes and regarded her closely. "I like her, Bolin. She doesn't beat around the bush. So, you ever been to a bending match before?"

"No. Well, I've been at the Arena while one was going on as a guard, but I've never seen one live."

"That's too bad, then, you came to a boring match," Bolin spoke up. "You're about to witness a complete blowout. This match is kind of just an exhibition before the Tournament, so the team we're up against isn't even in the running. It's their last match for the season."

"We can't be too confident, though. They're gonna be emotional and may start fighting dirty," Mako coolly commented.

Bolin, however, was unaffected. He just waggled his eyebrows at Nisha and said, "No worries, the Fabulous Fire Ferrets are going to kick some serious butt." He complemented the statement with a flex of his arm.

Nisha laughed at his antics. "So, I thought I was really late, isn't the match going to start soon?"

"Usually we start at 5, but tonight they've got a little acrobatics show before since they figured no one would pay to watch such a low-profile team face the future champions!" Bolin explained.

"So I guess tonight was the right night for me to be late," she smiled.

Bolin laughed, "As long as it doesn't happen again. Here, I wanna see the show." With that he led her to the balcony to the roar of the fans. The show was just about to start. She blushed when she realized he was still holding her hand and was pondering what he meant by "happen again." Does he mean to say he wants to see her again?

She removed her hand from his to settle her arms on the railing. Leaning forward, she watched with amazement as the troupe on the court performed their superhuman stunts. She laughed and gasped in time with the crowd, occasionally making comments to Bolin.

"Did you see that?"

"How did he do that?"

"What sorcery is this?"

Bolin seemed entranced with her amusement, delighted that she was enjoying herself. He had thought she'd be really hard and cold, like his brother. When they had met she seemed really uptight and uninterested. But now, here she was, hamming it up right next to him. Her enjoyment was contagious, and he found himself laughing throughout the performance, partly at the show, partly at her reactions.

Meanwhile, Korra and Mako sat back on the chaise, the show as background noise to their conversation.

"I don't see why we have to change our name," she pouted. "The Future Industries Fire Ferrets? It's too long!"

"Korra, they're sponsoring us for the Tournament. I don't think you quite understand how much of a financial commitment that is."

"It wouldn't hurt his pocketbook at all if we kept our name. You're just doing it for Asami."

"You're being stubborn!"

"You're being played!" They went on like this till Bolin turned to them and glared at his brother before turning to his date with a charismatic smile.

Mako sighed. "Guess we can talk about this later."

Korra smirked. "Bo tryin' to make a good impression?"

"You have no idea. He was going on and on about this girl. It's very unlike him. On the way home a couple fans started chatting him up and it's like he was in a trance. Blew right past them then started talking about her 'arresting arrest' as he called it."

"Must be the hair. Or that a—"

"Korra!" Mako interrupted her. She laughed, and even he gave a slight smile.

Hearing nothing behind him for once, Bolin was satisfied that he and Nisha could enjoy the finale in peace.

"How long have you been probending?" she asked.

"Well Mako have been training for years, ever since we were little kids. We lived next to a man who always had the matches playing on his radio and we would listen every day without fail. Even when it snowed we'd hide by his porch to listen. He'd get mad when he caught us, saying we were stealing his rights to the radio he had payed for, but I think he like the company of people just as crazy about probending as he was. One day, Mako came home with tickets for the both of us; he'd been saving for months. We went and afterwards got in a scuffle out back. The owner stopped us and saw that we had potential so he offered us a home and a chance to do what we've always loved. The rest is history."

"That's incredible. So you two live here?"

"Yup. They've got the gym downstairs then apartments for the probenders who can't afford to live anywhere else."

"So you've got everything here? Sounds like Headquarters."

"Everything but food, we have to find that for ourselves. But we've got a new sponsor, Future Industries, so money shouldn't be as much of a problem for the team."

"How'd that happen?"

"It's a funny story, actually. Mr. Sato's daughter, Asami, hit Mako with her moped. She introduced him to her father who agreed to sponsor us. They're dating now, she makes Mako happy, a lot happier than he's been for a while."

"That's too bad," she mused.

He seemed shocked, "What? Why? I know Mako doesn't seem like a happy kind of guy, but it's not the end of the world—"

She stopped him with a laugh. "No, it's just pretty obvious that Korra likes him." She kept her voice low so that neither Korra nor Mako heard her. Bolin shifted a little.

"Ya, we've got a weird kind of team dynamic if you haven't noticed." Both of them grew silent as the performers finished their final stunts. The audience went wild at the unexpected skill and grace of the star performer as she was thrown in the air in time with the other members. The lights went off causing the crowd to gasp but just then a dazzling display of fireworks shot up lighting the Arena. Everyone cheered as the acrobats twisted in the air amid the colorful lights and landed without a hitch. Nisha joined in the clapping and Bolin let out his own hollers. He turned with a smile to Nisha.

His breath hitched in his throat as he took in her face flashing with greens then reds then blues. She looked radiant as she grinned with her ember eyes squinting in the bright flashes. Her freckles dusting her face made her look young and immature, so unlike how he'd figured her to be. A dimple popped up on her left cheek when she started laughing. He couldn't describe the feelings he had for her: he barely knew her. For all he knew, she could still be lying to him about everything. But there was something, a light in her eyes, a mischievous tone in her laugh, that bewitched him completely. And she had no idea that she was doing this to him.

Mako and Korra watched as Bolin stared at Nisha. "Jeez, hopefully he snaps out of it before she looks at him. It's kind of creepy." Korra whispered to the firebender.

He nodded, "Told you. He's got it bad."

* * *

**Um, so remember how in the last chapter I was like, "Ohemgee, guys, wouldn't it be so lame if I spent 2000 words about her walk to the Arena and didn't get to the actual date AGAIN? Lol roflcopter!1! 1! Who would do that? Not me! Hohoho." ... well now I just feel a bit sheepish. That's pretty much what I frickin did. Good gawd. I apologize. But, at least we got some interaction, right? That's something! Hey, don't leave me! Good things take time! :P Haha. Oh! I had another question for my readers. Are there redheads in Avatar land? I'm racking my brain and can't seem to think of any! Help me out if you've got an answer! :] Anywho, thanks for reading and subscribing and reviewing. You don't know how happy it makes me! Especially reviews! I hope you enjoyed this exciting installment! Next time will be... ugh. Who knows. Maybe I'll spend the whole time detailing some frickin cricket they encounter outside... :P Haha, in the mean time, everyone will be appreciating Nisha's posterior. Dat ass... ;] Haha! Maybe it wasn't her face Bolin was gazing at... *eyebrow waggle***


	7. Chapter 7

The announcer's voice boomed over the dying cheers. "Ladies and gentlemen, Republic City's very own Bostrum and Lee Circus group!" He paused for another round of applause. "Now, for the moment we've all been waiting for, the match featuring the highly-favoured Fire Ferrets against the Octomonkeys!"

The crowd couldn't contain its excitement, forcing Bolin to yell so she could hear him. "We have to go down now! But, it'll just be a few minutes, don't miss me too much!" He smiled, a smile she returned shyly. He and his teammates left the room for the elevator.

"In this corner we have the often underestimated Octomonkeys! They had a great run this season, but injuries early on forced them to seek a replacement for their star and captain, Emi. Tonight she's back for their closing match of the season! Give them a round of applause!" Nisha looked on as a group of three strolled on to the court, waving at the politely clapping crowd. There were two girls, one older and one about Nisha's age, and an older gentleman. The young girl, Emi, walked with a noticeable limp. She didn't have much hope for Emi's impact on the match: she was the Earthbender, and without a firm foundation she wasn't much of a threat. None of the trio looked too imposing, and Nisha had no doubt that the Fire Ferrets would clinch the win without any trouble.

"And now, a certain fan favorite and one of my own, too, the up-and-coming stars, set to turn the tide in this year's Tournament, the Fire Ferrets!" Nisha cheered for the team who sauntered onto the court, waving their arms and taking in the crazy cheers. Bolin made sure to shoot a look up at the balcony and a hearty salute. She smiled, then, feeling jocular from the energy in the air, blew him a kiss. He made a motion of grabbing it out of the air and putting it in his pocket. With a laugh, she continued clapping till the noise died down. _Did you really just do that?_ she chided herself with an eye roll at the cheesy gesture, flushing slightly. She really hoped he didn't read too much into the action.

The teams faced each other, each bender facing the other team's respective elemental pro. The ref made his appearance in the middle. Then he climbed to his seat and over the speaker shouted, "Round one, begin!"

The Fire Ferrets were perfectly in sync. Mako started the attack while Bolin and Korra covered. He managed to knock back the waterbender a zone with a fierce fire strike. He made a motion for Korra to step forward to begin her barrage of water whips. She saw an opening and yelled to Bolin. She took a hit to the shoulder from the Earthbender girl's disk, but kept her feet. Then she and Bolin worked together attacking the man and the injured girl, alternating targets till eventually the man was in Zone Three and Emi was in Zone Two. All the while Mako had been keeping the firebending woman busy preventing her from helping her teammates. Bolin rushed to his brother's side and sent a disk whirring toward the woman's lower legs. She jumped to dodge when Korra came in, sending a pulse of water and knocking the woman out of the ring.

"The Fire Ferrets can enter Zone One!" They stepped forward to the next zone. Mako worked on pushing back the man with Korra's help. Meanwhile Bolin managed to block both Emi's disks and the man's whips with his own well-timed disk strikes. It wasn't long before Emi was beat back to Zone Three with her teammate and the Ferrets took to Zone Two. The round's timer was running down. Korra sent a blast of water at the man, Mako shot a fireball at the captain, and Bolin sent two earth disks to both sides, ricocheting off the bungee cords. While the Octomonkeys tried to dodge Korra and Mako's attacks, the disks nailed each one in the chest, sending them off the field. The crowd cheered, blocking the sounds of the losers' splashes.

"And in a dominating performance, the Fire Ferrets steal the show with a first-round knockout! Such perfect form, seems like they're ready to start the tournament!" Korra high-fived her teammates, then she and Bolin started hamming it up much to the amusement of the crowd while Mako stood coolly by. As they left the field, the announcer returned to declare the next two teams to fight.

Nisha walked to the chaise where the red pet from before was snoozing. He immediately sat up and sniffed at her then settled himself on her lap. She wasn't usually a huge animal person, but she warmed up to him when he started purring as she stroked his soft fur. She turned when she heard the click of the door and stood, disgruntling a very cozy Fire Ferret who decided to hop up on the girl's shoulder.

"Now that's what I call a victory!" Bolin burst into the room, his helmet in his hand as he raised his arms.

"You guys were great! That was an exciting match to watch! The other guys didn't have a chance!"

Bolin beamed, "Yeah, they had nothing on us. Since Korra's been allowed to come to practices, we've really been meshing well. Those Wolfbats better watch out!"

"I can't wait to kick Tahno's butt!" Korra made a fist and punched her other hand with a smirk.

Bolin walked up to Nisha. "So, I see you've met Pabu. He seems to like you!"

She plucked him off of her shoulders. "Yeah, he's really cute." Pabu stretched out his neck and licked her face. She wiped it off but smiled. "Sorry Pabu, I'm not a fan of animal licks. I have no idea where your tongue's been."

Pabu jumped from her arms to the chair where he resumed his nap.

"So, guys, you all want to meet up at Narook's?" Korra suggested as she started removing her padded gear and putting it in the closet. She noticed a growing blue mark on her shoulder and started rubbing at it, wincing at the touch.

"I'm alright with that. How about you, Bo? Nisha can join us" Mako asked.

"Sorry bro and Korra, but I've already got other plans for tonight. You'll have to look after Pabu, too." The animal looked up when he heard his name, then rested his head when further nothing transpired.

Nisha had to wait for the team to change out of their bulky garb. She kept up a friendly conversation with Korra, the first to be done, until the others finished.

It wasn't long before Bolin was ready to leave the group dressed in his usual outfit. "You ready?" he asked Nisha while motioning toward the door.

She hopped off the seat and said goodbye to Korra, reaching Bolin's side in a few steps.

"Have fun you two!" Korra waved to them. When they left she turned to Mako, wiping a fake tear from her eye. "They grow up so fast."

Out in the hall, Bolin was already raving about all of the exciting plans he had for the evening. By the time they had left the building, Nisha was overwhelmed by the numerous activities he had in store.

"I haven't had a chance to check out the films at the new theater yet, but I've heard they're pretty good. They're just simple cartoons, but they're fully animated, one's even fifteen minutes long!" his arms waved to emphasize his shock.

She laughed. "I've never been to one either, but everyone at work has said they're incredible!" The theater was just a block away so it took them little time to arrive. When they did, they were shocked at the amount of film-goers vying for position along the road.

"What's going on?" Nisha asked, straining her neck to see above the crowd.

"I'm not sure. We should get to the ticket booth, though. It's pretty crazy out here." He bought their tickets from a bored looking vendor without a problem. "So, I guess all the people aren't here for our showing. I'm glad it's not sold out! Hey, what are you doing?"

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Nisha decided to climb up a nearby lamppost to get a visual on the situation. Just as she got a clear view of the road, a sleek white Satomobile pulled up. The driver got out and held open the door revealing a beautiful woman with ruby red lips and wavy black locks. Her pale skin glowed in contrast to her cream colored halter dress and matching fur stole around her shoulders. On seeing her, the mob of people flocked toward her, squishing together just to get closer. Nisha hopped back down.

"So, what's with all the hoopla? It's like Ting Lee is here or something."

"Does Ting Lee happen to be a tall, model-like woman with black hair, red lips, and apt to sport fur?"

His eyes widened. "Oh spirits! Is it really her? She must be here for the debut of her new silent film. You don't know who she is?"

"Not at all, like I said, I'm not a theater person."

"Me either, but she's all over the news. Man, we've gotta get you out of your office more often!" He looked toward the crowd. He would've loved a chance to meet arguably one of the most gorgeous women of the era, but on seeing the Central Station clock behind the fans, he realized they were about to be late for the feature. "Oh! Looks like we've gotta get inside!"

"You don't want to meet her? Or get an autograph?" Nisha would've preferred just getting out of the ruckus. She could tell that a riot was inevitable if this actress didn't stop stalling outside.

"Nah, what's a celebrity got on my date?" He grinned, putting his arm around her shoulder. She plucked his arm off of her.

"Well alright then, let's go," she stammered awkwardly. They went inside and quickly bought some candied fire flakes and drinks before heading to their screen. Just as they settled into their seats, the lights went down. There was some audible crackling emanating from the projector room, a loud curse from the employee, and a suspicious-sounding bang. Then the movie started up.

It was a slow show with little action; it was more of the slap-stick humor common to the silent films of the time, amusing for its simplicity. Regardless, Nisha was absorbed in the animation: she'd never seen anything like it. In the background was a constant stream of pleasant orchestral music, blending flawlessly with the animal characters' actions on screen.

When the main character, a brave little mouse, was gathering his friends for the adventure, Bolin was gathering confidence to make his subtle move. He cautiously lifted his arm to scratch at the back of his head then, when Nisha seemed under a spell by the black and white world, gave his arm a new home behind her head. _Success!_ he thought to himself.

Unfortunately for Bolin, Nisha saw his machinations out of the corner of her eye. Quite frankly, she was clueless as to what to do. She certainly didn't want to lean in to him, Agni forbid, but she wasn't going to turn around and scold him either. Nisha had never been much of a touchey-feely person. Earlier when he had grabbed her hand, her first reaction was to jerk it away, but he seemed so inviting and she didn't want to hurt his feelings. She was actually pretty surprised that she had held on as long as she did. Then when he put his arm around her in front of the theater, again she felt too confined by the action and tried to remove herself quickly. For this situation, she figured the best course of action would be to lean forward slightly.

He noticed her lean toward the screen and thought nothing of it besides that she was really into the cartoon. Satisfied with his genius date idea, he reached for a handful of celebratory candy. But his hand wasn't alone in the carton. Images of cheesy romance stories where hands meet and love blossoms flashed through his mind, but the moment was ruined when she hastily jerked away. She wasn't embarrassed, just plain uncomfortable, and Bolin wasn't sure what to make of her expression.

"Sorry," he whispered quietly. He removed his hand then offered the bag to her. She put out her hand and he poured a few treats into her palm for her enjoyment. She smiled a thanks, and, even though an impromptu hand holding would've been fine by him, he was glad to see that her stiffened body relaxed after the gesture.

He already knew from the previous night that this girl was different. His initial suspicions were correct that she was naturally defensive. He had hoped that she'd already warmed up to him, but apparently it would take a good chunk of time. He was ready to accept the challenge, not for the ego-boosting thrill some guys enjoy when they score an aloof dame, but for the potential of calling someone so strong and unique, full of cunning and secrets, his. No matter how long it took, no matter how short of a time he had known her, he felt committed to the cause already. He remembered his conversation with Mako that morning about her. He had to agree with his brother: he had it bad.

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**Aw poor Bolin. His moves just aren't working on this girl today! Will his efforts be more fruitful as their date draws on? ...who knows! Also, thanks to all the awesome people out there subscribing and reviewing, it really motivates me! Keep reviewing! :]**


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